Lost Pendant
by Miara Rigawa
Summary: Inuyasha loses something very important that Kagome has given to him but she doesn't know he has been keeping it. Kagome thought it was from Kikyou. To clear things to Kagome, Inuyasha risks telling her what he has lost and who gave it to him.


A/N: I just watched my favorite Inuyasha movie and this idea popped inside my head. Hope you enjoy! For my constant readers of The Shadow, my next chappie is on the way. Don't worry!

To the new readers, if the words are **bold** that means that they are flashbacks.

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Disclaimer: Yes, I will tell you that I am positively not the owner of Inuyasha.

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_**Lost Pendant**_

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'_Where the fucking hell is that damn thing?.!.?.!' _Inuyasha fumbled on his clothing for the nth time to look for it but still he remained unsuccessful. He cursed under his breath and jumped down from his perch.

He only found out that it was missing when he woke up from his sleep and decided to take a look at it. He always did that when Kagome was back at her time to lessen the loneliness he felt when she wasn't around. What was he supposed to do now that it was gone as well?

'_Keh! It's just a piece of metal!' _He thought to himself, trying to tell himself that it was nothing off his skin. But his heart begged to disagree. His heart was very uncomfortable and troubled at the loss of that piece of metal. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to think of anything else unless he found that object, he set himself in a personal mission to retrieve that missing item—wherever it was. He wasn't going to allow a piece of metal to make him suffer that much.

And to his annoyance, Kagome still hadn't come back.

'_Where is that damn thing when you need it?.!' _Inuyasha circled the tree he had rested on during the night, his head intent on the ground to look for a small, shiny golden metal. He went around it more than three times but still didn't find a single sign of the article he was looking for.

He had a strange feeling that the whole world was conspiring against him that very day. All he wanted was some time alone so he could work fast and search as many places as possible. But fate was not on his side.

"Inuyasha, isn't Kagome returning today?" Shippou asked, looking puzzled at Inuyasha's strange activity. "What are you doing?" He couldn't help himself from asking, stepping out of Inuyasha's way or else he might risk being _kicked_ out of the hanyou's way.

Inuyasha still didn't lift his head from the ground as he walked aimlessly, trying to scan the whole area for the piece of metal.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou tried to get his attention once again but Inuyasha didn't even spare a look or a growl at him. "Are you listening to me, you idiot?.!" Oops. Maybe he shouldn't go as far as insulting him? He knew that even though Inuyasha was trying to ignore him, he would always love to hit him—very hard—if he was teasing him and abusing his silence.

"I'm busy, runt." Inuyasha said without raising his head or stopping in his tracks. "Stop pestering me and fucking go." He said the words very calmly to Shippou's surprise.

'_That's it?' _Shippou thought, very amused with Inuyasha's actions. '_He didn't even try to hit me…' _He looked at Inuyasha's eyes and tried to find some answers to his questions. There was determination in Inuyasha's eyes. Shippou didn't know exactly what Inuyasha was so determined to do but even though he felt like annoying Inuyasha some more, he decided against it. '_Maybe later when Kagome's here so she can sit Inuyasha.' _He thought mischievously, turning around to head back to Kaede's hut and leave Inuyasha alone.

Inuyasha went on with his search for the lost article that Kagome had given to him, not even noticing when Shippou had left him.

-

"You know, he's been like that ever since morning." Shippou told the two adults as they stood in front of Kaede's hut, watching Inuyasha walk around the area with his eyes still glued downwards. "It's really weird." He sighed, looking at the sun above the sky.

It was already noon and Inuyasha still hadn't eaten anything.

"He looks like he's looking for something." Sango observed, noticing that Inuyasha was always looking at the ground while he muttered softly to himself.

"Or maybe he has finally lost it." Miroku said with high interest, following Inuyasha with his violet eyes. "Kagome's been gone for four days now. The guy must be suffering badly." His eyes were suddenly filled with obvious sympathy for the hanyou then he shifted his gaze to Sango. This time his eyes were all of a sudden grateful as he said, "It's a good thing my beloved Sango doesn't go away that much."

Sango would have blushed at the comment if only Miroku hadn't let his hand stray _too_ low on Sango's back. She quickly grabbed Hiraikotsu and whacked his head to punish him. "You pervert!" She hissed, distancing herself some more from Miroku.

"What an idiot." Shippou softly muttered to himself, thinking about Miroku's words. '_Maybe Miroku's right. Maybe Inuyasha had gone insane…' _He thought about it and smiled triumphantly when he thought of a plan to confirm their hunch. "Inuyasha! You look so stupid right now! What are you doing?" He shouted to make sure Inuyasha would hear his words.

Inuyasha didn't stop his pacing but he still answered Shippou. "You little wretch! If I wasn't busy looking for that damn thing, I would have skinned you alive already!" He barked angrily, feeling frustrated that he still couldn't find the small, heart-shaped golden pendant. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to see the missing article on that particular area, he decided to search somewhere else—far from their prying eyes and annoying and unnecessary noises.

"See?" Sango told the two others, pleased that her assumption was correct unlike Miroku's. "I was right when I said he was looking for something."

"Do you think we should try to help?" Miroku asked, rubbing the swollen lump on his head.

"He doesn't look like he wants our help," countered Shippou, watching Inuyasha leave to look somewhere else.

"But he sure does need help." Sango said thoughtfully, thinking about how they could help Inuyasha. "He's been searching for hours now. I wonder what he's looking for."

"I don't have any idea but I'm sure it's pretty important to him," said Miroku, suddenly curious about the thing Inuyasha was searching for.

"He acts like he just lost a Shikon shard." Shippou agreed then his face suddenly lit up at the sight of a raven-haired girl walking towards them. "Kagome!.!.! You're finally back!.!.!" He wasted no time and ran towards the miko to give her a welcome hug.

"Shippou! I missed you!" Kagome beamed down at the small kitsune in her arms and gave another smile to Sango and Miroku. She looked around and was puzzled—not to mention, disappointed—when a certain silvery white-haired hanyou wasn't present to see her return. "Where is Inu—"

"Kagome..." Inuyasha growled at her, his eyes looking very pissed off. "What the heck took you so long to return?.!" He glared at her but deep inside him, his heart calmed a little when he learned that she was back. '_Now, I only have to think about that necklace.' _He was comforted by that thought—even just a little.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." She gave out an apologetic smile towards him, her heart relieved to see Inuyasha. Every time Kagome would return to Sengoku Jidai, she would feel a certain fear of not seeing Inuyasha when she returned. She feared that Inuyasha might go to _her_. '_To Kikyou.' _She thought about her incarnation and felt a pang surge in her heart. '_After all, she is the one who owns his heart. It was always her.' _She loved Inuyasha that was why he tried to understand him but still there was always this doubt in her heart that made her worry for Inuyasha's safety.

"Keh!"

Kagome's thought was disrupted by Inuyasha's arrogant dismissal of her apology. She smiled again to hide her thoughts from him. "I know I was supposed to be back this morning but I—"

"I don't need your explanation!" He interrupted her, walking away from the miko and leaving her confused and annoyed. '_It's enough for me that you're back—and safe.' _He thought and went on his previous task that was delayed by Kagome's arrival.

"I'm trying to be nice here! You should at least listen to me!" Kagome snapped back, glowering at Inuyasha's retreating form. "Inuyasha, if you don't come back here I'll real—"

"I'm busy! I don't have time to hang around." He cut her again, looking back at his shoulder but still continuing to leave. '_Damn, this necklace is surely giving me a lot of trouble!' _He thought and decided to go to the forest to search the shaded grounds. After all, he had spent a lot of time there to think things over. Maybe he dropped it there somewhere or it got caught by a branch while he was jumping through the forest.

"Why you jerk!" Kagome clenched her fists tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She took a deep breath and was ready to release her wrath at Inuyasha if Miroku hadn't stopped her.

"Wait, Kagome! Inuyasha didn't mean it that way!" Miroku said, trying to save Inuyasha from a sure sit. "He's really just busy at the moment. Isn't that right, Sango?" He turned to Sango for some backup.

"Yeah, that's right!" She said quickly to help Miroku out. "He's just a bit grumpy because he still can't find the thing he's looking for."

In a way, they knew they were helping Inuyasha by rescuing him from Kagome's anger. Inuyasha wouldn't be able to continue his hunt if he had a broken back, would he?

Kagome forgot her anger all of a sudden and asked, "Inuyasha's lost something?" She looked at the direction Inuyasha had run off to and thought, '_What could he be looking for?'_

"It seems very important to him." Miroku said, trying to talk some more to make Kagome completely forget that a while ago she had wanted so much to sit Inuyasha. "He's been looking for it ever since morning."

"And he still hasn't eaten lunch because of that." Sango added, looking at Kagome and was not surprised to see the concern on her friend's face.

Shippou looked up at Kagome's face and inquired out of curiosity, "Kagome, do you know what Inuyasha's looking for?"

Kagome thought for a moment but knew that she had no idea. "No, I don't know, Shippou." She answered truthfully, giving Shippou to Sango and going inside the hut to leave her yellow backpack. "I think I'll go see Inuyasha to help him." She just couldn't let Inuyasha deal with this alone. She ran towards the direction of the forest.

"Shouldn't we go with her to help out too?" Shippou questioned Sango when neither of the two tried to stop Kagome nor made a move to follow her.

Miroku shrugged and turned around to go inside the hut. "I think we'll be helping them more if we stay here." He said knowingly.

Sango understood Miroku's words and nodded. "They'll do better by themselves." She patted Shippou's head with a small smile on her lips then followed Miroku inside.

Kirara followed her master after taking one last look at Kagome, who was running to see Inuyasha.

-

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out when she had reached the forest. "Inuyasha, where are you?" She sauntered deeper into the forest in hopes to see the silver-haired hanyou clad in red. She was about to shout his name again but was stopped when a red blur jumped in front of her, ticked golden yellow eyes staring down at her.

"I told you I'm busy. You really love disobeying me, don't you?.!" Inuyasha commented in a scoffing manner, his arms crossed arrogantly across his chest.

"I just wanted to help you." The miko reasoned out, trying to defend herself. "We'll find it faster if there are two of us looking for it, won't we?" She smiled encouragingly at him.

"You know?.!" Inuyasha's cheeks turned red as he blushed, feeling embarrassed that Kagome knew. "How did you know?.!" He hadn't told anyone. How come she knew?

Kagome was confused when she saw Inuyasha flushing but she answered him anyway. "The others said you're looking for something." Looking around the forest as if expecting to find the thing Inuyasha was looking for, she looked back at Inuyasha and inquired curiously, "So what exactly did you lose?"

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief upon knowing that his secret was still safe. '_I thought she knew it already!' _He thought, calming his heart which was beating really fast at the moment. "Keh! It doesn't concern you so don't bother!" He told her, looking away from her eyes. '_Liar.' _He mentally scolded himself.

"You mean you won't tell me what it is?"

"No."

"Even just a hint?"

"Not a chance, wench."

Kagome sighed in surrender. She knew she couldn't change Inuyasha's mind once he had made it up. "Okay, in that case…" She paused before saying her question, her heart beating a little faster than normal, "can I just stay with you?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at Kagome's words and all he managed to say was, "Huh?" He had expected Kagome to shout at him and call him an insensitive jerk like she always did when he was being mean to her.

Not that question.

That was the reason he had asked her to repeat her words. Maybe he didn't hear her correctly…

But Kagome said the same question she had spoken to him with the same tone in her voice—a tone of uncertainty and hope that he would let her.

'_Just like the time she asked me before…' _Inuyasha thought, remembering the time when they had that small talk by the Bone-Eater's Well.

"**Can I stay with you?" **

Inuyasha snapped himself back to reality and looked at Kagome, weighing up his options. '_I guess it won't hurt to have her around while I look for the necklace. She doesn't know what I'm looking for anyway.' _He thought, mentally smiling at his next thought. '_Plus, it's nice to have her near me. She always gives my heart some kind of peace.' _Making sure he didn't sound all that pleased with the idea of her staying, he said to Kagome, "Fine! You can stay but don't bother me much, understand?"

Kagome smiled gratefully at Inuyasha's words, agreeing with his condition eagerly. '_Thank you, Inuyasha.' _She thought, contented that he had allowed her to stay with him. '_Even if he won't let me help him find it, at least he knows that I'll still be here for him—no matter what.' _

Inuyasha continued to walk on the forest grounds but not hastily so he could inspect the area thoroughly—and to let Kagome catch up with him. He didn't want her to be left behind.

"Can't you trace it through your nose?" Kagome suggested, hoping to help Inuyasha in some way.

"I lost its scent." Inuyasha told her simply but he still tried it to appease Kagome. "No use, I can't find a trace of it." He slumped his shoulders in defeat but he quickly regained his determination. There was no way that he would be quitting so soon.

The sun was still up after all.

-

But the sun would be descending soon and they still hadn't found the missing article.

Kagome sat under the Goshinboku's shade and looked at Inuyasha worriedly. He was crouched by a bush, inspecting it carefully for the lost item. "Inuyasha, I think it's time that we stop looking for it—whatever it is." She told him, knowing that he was also exhausted and very distraught that he wasn't able to recover it. "We've looked for hours and we still can't find it. We should rest. It's really gone..."

"It can't be gone!" Inuyasha barked at her, looking at her tenaciously with his golden amber eyes.

'_He's really upset about his loss…' _She thought, envying the regard Inuyasha had for whatever he had lost. Kagome was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to make Inuyasha feel better. "I know!" She suddenly said, clapping her hands together cheerfully. "Why don't you just buy another one like that? We can go to the village market tomorrow." She proposed, hoping to comfort Inuyasha and relieve him from his depression.

Inuyasha stood up but he didn't face Kagome. "It won't be the same anymore…" After saying that, he went to another shrub and began his search all over again. '_Because it isn't Kagome who has given the necklace to me.' _He thought, knowing the difference if ever he bought a replacement for the necklace.

Kagome thought Inuyasha would already be agreeing to her suggestion when he stood up—but she was mistaken. She didn't expect the words she had gotten from Inuyasha.

But she knew just how right he was.

'_If I lost something Inuyasha has given to me, I probably won't buy a replacement either.' _Kagome thought, smiling at the hanyou's back as she watched him silently. '_Because it isn't from Inuyasha anymore…' _"It's really important to you, isn't it?" She asked him as he persisted with his search for the said article on another bush.

"Do you think I'd be working my ass this hard if it wasn't fucking important?.!" He spared a moment to look over his shoulder and glare at the miko seated under the Goshinboku.

"I thought so too." She smiled softly to herself, putting her elbows on her lap and resting her chin on her cupped hands.

There was silence for a while. Only the faint rustling of leaves caused by Inuyasha's hands could be heard in the forest. Kagome was snapped out of her own thoughts when Inuyasha suddenly spoke.

"I'm just so used to having it with me that I don't feel right anymore now that I've lost it." He said it just barely above a whisper. Perhaps because Inuyasha didn't want the black-haired girl from the future to hear but Kagome had heard him nevertheless.

Kagome smiled at the thought Inuyasha's words induced in her mind. She didn't know Inuyasha could be so attached to something that her yearning to know what the object was exactly increased even more.

Also the desire to know who had given that object to Inuyasha. But that certain thought brought Kagome a foreboding feeling—a feeling she was very familiar with ever since she loved Inuyasha. '_Can it be possible that the thing Inuyasha is looking for was given to him… by Kikyou?' _The pain in her heart grew even more as things began to clear for her.

"**Keh! It doesn't concern you so don't bother!"**

'_Of course it doesn't concern me. We're different, I'm not Kikyou…' _

"**You mean you won't tell me what it is?"**

"**No."**

"**Even just a hint?"**

"**Not a chance, wench." **

'_That's why he won't tell me…'_

"**It can't be gone!" **

'_That's why he won't give up… No matter how hopeless it is…'_

"**It won't be the same anymore…"**

'_Because I'm different from her. He still prefers to have her…'_

"Hey Kagome, you okay?"

Kagome raised her head to find Inuyasha standing in front of her, looking at her with obvious worry written all over his face. "Sorry, I spaced out a little." She said still a little distractedly.

"Maybe you should go back already… You've been following me all afternoon." Inuyasha knew that Kagome was tired as well. Maybe even more tired than he was because she was only a human girl.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." She told him reassuringly, looking into his yellow golden eyes to seek some comfort. She knew that Inuyasha was worried about her and that was the thought she tried to use in nursing her broken heart. '_Just a little heartbroken but nothing I can't handle.' _She wanted to say to him, wanting someone to know how she really felt right now. '_I'm used to this so I'll be fine…' _She really hoped she would be fine.

"You sure? I really think you should rest properly now." Inuyasha looked unconvinced, not understanding the searching look Kagome had in her eyes.

Kagome stood up, her eyes safely averted from Inuyasha now. "Okay, I'll be going now." She finally considered Inuyasha's idea and thought that it would be for the better. "Just don't stress yourself much, okay?"

"Keh! I'm not a weak human!"

"I know."

Kagome smiled at him but somehow Inuyasha didn't think her smile had any cheerfulness. Inuyasha had a nagging feeling that Kagome was depressed about something but he ignored the feeling, thinking that he was just being paranoid.

"I know it means so much to you. I hope you find it soon, Inuyasha." She said that without looking straight into Inuyasha's eyes, afraid that Inuyasha might see the sadness she was feeling at the moment. She slowly turned around and walked away, holding back the tears that wanted to fall.

'_Kagome, if only I can tell you how much it means to me…' _Inuyasha watched as Kagome left, the soft breeze softly playing with her hair. '_How much you mean to me…' _He suddenly felt the urge to run to Kagome and give his red haori to her when he saw her wrap her arms around herself in hopes of protecting herself from the cold. She looked so vulnerable walking alone like that. It made him want to run to her and tell her that it was going to be all right because he would protect her with his life.

But he stopped himself and instead, turned on his heels to return to a nearby shrub. He needed to find that necklace soon so he could return to Kagome. Before he could do just that, the scent of a single tear freshly shed reached him like a slap.

He swiftly turned around again to look at the direction Kagome had gone to.

'_Kagome?'_

-

As she hugged herself, Kagome felt the loneliness and sadness sinking into her heart. She knew she couldn't help it anymore. Looking at the reddish orange sky, she felt a single tear trickle down her cheek.

She headed towards the Bone-Eater's Well, hoping to escape her pain and leave it in this time period.

She felt like laughing at herself. '_Who am I kidding?' _She thought as the well came into her view. '_I can't leave this pain. As long as I love Inuyasha…and as long as Inuyasha loves Kikyou…'_

She jumped into the well.

-

Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was imagining it.

Did he just sense a tear in the air? Was it Kagome's? Why was she crying?

All questions only led to one thought in Inuyasha's mind.

Kagome.

Forgetting everything else, he went after Kagome.

'_The hell with the necklace, Kagome goes first!' _

-

Kagome was standing by her window, looking at the shrine grounds. Secretly, her heart wished to see a blur of red and white jumping stealthily there. With a soft sigh, she closed her window and returned to her bed. She sat on her bed and a small article caught her attention when it suddenly sparkled. It was lying just behind her drawer but she could see a portion of it. '_What could tha—' _

"Kagome?"

Just like a reflex, Kagome's eyes went to the window's direction. "Inuyasha…?" She spoke his name softly, feeling it was too good to be true. '_He came…' _Her heart leaped in joy when she was sure that she wasn't just imagining him standing in front of her. "You came." She stated, looking amazed as she got to her feet, face to face with Inuyasha.

"Are you okay? Were you hurt?" He gently placed both hands on both of her shoulders, trying to examine her for anything wrong.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha." She said, almost giggling at the way Inuyasha worried about her.

"You sure?" He looked into her eyes to see if she was telling him the truth.

'_I don't know…' _That was the truth but she didn't have the courage to tell him. She tried changing the topic and asked, "Did you find it?"

Inuyasha retrieved his hands and dropped them on his sides, looking away from her. "No." He didn't know why but he felt ashamed of himself.

"But I thought it was really important to you…" Kagome didn't see the shame on Inuyasha's eyes because she was too busy looking at the floor.

"It is," said Inuyasha positively. "But something distracted me…" He risked a quick glance at Kagome's face only to find that she wasn't looking at him but on the floor. "I thought you were hurt." He softly added, sincere concern lacing his voice as he spoke.

'_I am.' _Kagome wanted to say but it came out as something else. "Sorry…" She sat down on her bed, feeling weak as her heart began aching again, "for interrupting you for nothing." She placed her hands on her lap, still not looking at Inuyasha's face.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, looking annoyed with Kagome's needless apology. "I wasn't asking for an apology why the hell are you giving me one?.!" He could tell that Kagome was definitely sad but he didn't know the reason why. Was it his fault? Maybe he should tell her the truth about the necklace now? He took a deep breath and gathered all the courage he could muster to deliver his next line. "I should be the one saying sorry."

Kagome raised her head in surprise, looking up at Inuyasha's face. "But you didn't do anything wrong." She said in a small voice. '_Not intentionally at least…'_

This was it. Inuyasha knew he couldn't back out now. "I lost the necklace you gave me." He said, finding himself staring into Kagome's brown eyes. He didn't look away as he said, "I'm sorry, Kagome."

His apology was heartfelt, Kagome could clearly see that. But that wasn't the thought that had surprised Kagome the most.

"You mean…" '_It's me? I'm important to you?' _She remembered the instance she had given the necklace to Inuyasha. It was a little golden locket. Inside were their pictures, both looking angry and annoyed. "You still had it? You kept it with you all along?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha said, looking down again as he felt his guilt eating him slowly. "But I lost it this morning."

"Inuyasha…" She stood up, her eyes shielded by her bangs. She couldn't believe it. Inuyasha treasured the necklace she had given to him!

'_Now I'm going to be dead.' _ He thought, looking up to see Kagome stand up. Inuyasha was supposed to take a step backwards but he knew he deserved this punishment so he stood firmly and remained on his post. He was about to close his eyes to prepare himself for the worst when all of a sudden, he felt arms around him. His eyes widened instead of closing.

Kagome was hugging him.

"Thank you." She pulled away from him gently, a genuine, thankful smile on her beautiful lips.

"For losing the necklace you gave me?" Inuyasha didn't quite understand what Kagome was so grateful about. But he sure didn't mind the hug—not at all. "Don't you think you should be an—"

"No, stupid." She playfully hit him on his shoulder, beaming at him. "For making me happy—_very_ happy." She had wanted to add, '_For tending my broken heart.' _But she contented herself with the first one. After all, who could ask for more when Inuyasha had just showed her how important she was?

Inuyasha felt a surge of pride inside his heart and he also felt… happy. Yes, he felt very happy indeed. "So you're not angry with me?" He hoped not.

"I should be," said Kagome but she was still wearing a smile, "but I knew you tried very hard to find it again so I'm not angry anymore." She smiled at him brightly.

There it was again, the glittering she caught at the corner of her eyes.

Inuyasha felt weird. The feeling of restlessness and uncertainty he felt had left. '_Can it be Kagome's doing? Is she the one that calms my heart?' _The answer was evident to him.

Of course she was the one.

'_It was her all the time.'_ Inuyasha knew now that it wasn't the loss of the necklace that bothered him so much. It was the loss of the feeling that necklace brought to him that made him upset and feeling lonely. He didn't know how Kagome did it but when she gave that necklace to him, the necklace seemed to give Inuyasha the same thing Kagome gave to him all the time.

"I think it's time that I give up on searching for that necklace," said Inuyasha, smiling down at Kagome. '_As long as you're beside me, I don't need anything else.'_

"I think your search is over." Kagome walked over to her drawer and bent down to pick up something behind it. She returned to Inuyasha and raised her clenched hand so it was leveled with Inuyasha's amber eyes. Then she opened her hand.

A small, heart-shaped golden pendant dangled before Inuyasha's eyes.

"How did it…?" He trailed off, the answer finally dawning in his mind. He was back here last night to check on Kagome! '_And that blasted alarm clock went off again and made me panic.' _He threw a furious look at the inanimate object lying on Kagome's bedside drawer, wanting so much to shred it into pieces.

"Inuyasha, were you here last night?" She looked at him teasingly, loving the way the hanyou blushed under her gaze.

"Keh! You were late! Why won't I be here?" He looked away from her and did the usual thing he did to hide the truth. He passed the blame on her.

Kagome saw past Inuyasha's pretension and smiled knowingly. "You always love to pretend!" She giggled at him then wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm not prete—" His words were cut short when he found Kagome's arms around him once again. "Kagome?" He could feel himself blushing as he swallowed. His heart was pounding loudly inside his chest, he was almost sure that Kagome could hear it too. He was about to hug her back when she leaned back and smiled at him, saying cheerfully, "There you go!"

'_There you go?' _Inuyasha's mind repeated in puzzlement.

"Don't lose it again, okay?" Kagome reminded him, looking down at the golden pendant hanging around Inuyasha's neck.

'_So it was the necklace huh?' _Inuyasha thought, also looking at the tiny piece of metal lying on his chest. He wondered how else he was going to earn himself a hug from Kagome. He just found out that Kagome should hug him more often. It was nice to have her so near and he loved her arms around him. '_Maybe if I keep on breaking this necklace she'll put it back to me just like that?'_

-

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and held out his hand to help Kagome climb up afterwards.

"Thank you." Kagome said appreciatively, her lips had one of those smiles Inuyasha loved so much. "Do you think the others are looking for us?" She asked Inuyasha just to start a conversation, liking the warmth of Inuyasha's hand against her hand.

"Keh! They know you're safe with me." Inuyasha said confidently, slightly squeezing Kagome's hand.

"Well, that's true…" She smiled again, trying to hide the blush that crept on her face. "Wow! So many stars tonight!" She looked up into the sky, feeling her heart sing joyfully.

The sky was sprinkled with hundreds—maybe even thousands—of tiny sparkling stars. The moon also had its own glow, giving light to help the couple find their way back to the old miko's hut and reunite with their other companions.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said but he too lifted his gaze into the heavens, happy that Kagome was with him that moment—not to mention, he was holding her hand. He felt so lucky that day. Maybe fate was on his side after all?

He found the necklace and Kagome had hugged him _twice_. He was the luckiest hanyou in the whole wide world.

He took the locket with his other hand and smiled softly. "Kagome?" He looked at the girl beside him and looked intently in her eyes, preparing to make a vow. "I promise I won't lose it again." He meant every single word he had said. '_I'll protect it just like I'll always protect you.'_

"I know you'll take care of it." Kagome said, squeezing Inuyasha's hand gently as she smiled at him. Somehow, she felt like she was pertaining to her heart when she had said that to Inuyasha. '_I trust you with my heart, Inuyasha. It's yours.'_

Inuyasha tucked the heart-shaped pendant safely under his red haori, intending to keep his promise to Kagome. He did not only regain the comfort he lost when the necklace got lost, he even gained something else.

He wasn't comforted by the necklace alone now. He had Kagome to comfort him too.

She always had.

They began to walk back to the others unhurriedly. They wanted to take their time in walking.

In fact, they wanted to take _lots and lots_ of time.

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A/N: I just can't help but wonder what happened to that cute little necklace! Isn't Kagome soooo clueless in this fanfic? Sometimes she really loves to jump into so many stupid conclusions, you know? But I still love her character! Tell me what you think in a review! Go on, don't be shy!


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